Green panel defers decision on JSW Cement's Gulbarga project

The Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) of the Environment Ministry has deferred its decision on granting environment clearance (EC) to JSW Cement for its Mogla limestone mine project in Gulbarga (Karnataka), because the mine lease area is sub-judice.

The proposal is for production of 4.51 million tonnes per annum of limestone-ROM from a mine lease area of 404 hectares in Mogla village in Gulbarga district. EAC had deferred its decision on the proposal twice in 2016 for want of more details. It took up the matter again last month.

“The project proponent informed that the mine area did not have a valid lease and that they had filed a case in the High Court regarding the execution of the lease. The Committee did not consider the proposal as the status of lease was sub judice,” say the minutes of the January 30-31 EAC meeting.